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The United States women’s soccer team is in Sunday’s World Cup final largely because of Abby Wambach’s aerial dominance and her penchant for the dramatic.
Wambach nodded home a game-saving goal against Brazil in the quarterfinals and the game-winner against France in the semis. But the Rochester, N.Y., native has come up huge in the biggest spots because of her heart . . . not her head.
Despite being just 31 years old, the forward says she has been bred from youth to be a competitor. She’s displayed that drive during this World Cup, playing through Achilles’ tendinitis to score in three straight games — all from the air — to set up the match against Japan with the championship at stake.
“This team has fought through a lot of adversity in that Brazil game and with a loss in the group stage,” Wambach said during a conference call from Frankfurt, Germany. “[But] that was a confidence-builder for us. We can be dealt any hand, any situation and come through on top in the end. That bodes well.”
Wambach has 121 goals in 162 U.S. games, 49 of them coming on headers. Her dozen career World Cup goals are third all-time, and she is tied with Michelle Akers for the U.S. record. But that won’t mean anything unless she tastes a title.
“This isn’t good enough for me,” Wambach said. “It doesn’t matter that we came in third in 2003 and third in ’07. Getting to the final is only halfway to my dream. We want to make sure we’re standing on top of that podium come Sunday.”
If they reach that podium, the 5-11 striker will be a big reason why, even if she deflects credit.
Her 122nd-minute equalizer in last Sunday’s quarterfinal against Brazil won an ESPN “ESPY” award for “Best Play of the Year.”
“She’s a threat, one of the best in the world in the air,” U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said.
Wambach’s 79th-minute back-post header of Lauren Cheney’s corner was the winner in Wednesday’s 3-1 semifinal victory. Red Bulls French star Thierry Henry, who’d watched at a bar in New York, put Wambach’s heroics against Les Bleues into context.
“People were having a go at her because she wasn’t scoring goals,” Henry said. “But people don’t know much about the game sometimes. That’s why she played the game against Sweden. People were wondering, ‘Why does she play? She doesn’t score, and she’s injured and she should be out.’
“Who is saving the USA right now? Wambach! So next time, people should stop talking.”
Wambach always has been physical and resilient, scoring six goals in the 2007 Cup despite taking 11 stitches to her head after a collision in the opener. She missed the next summer’s Olympics with a broken left leg but came back in 2009 to lead all Americans in Women’s Professional Soccer scoring.
“There’ve been a lot of questions about my health, my Achilles,” Wambach said. “If you’re feeling pain going into this game, the final, there’s something wrong with you. This is the pinnacle, the dream we all set. We have unfinished business. We want to have a storybook ending. The road we’ve taken isn’t the road many thought we’d take, but we’re in the final and we have a chance.”
For the youngest of Pete and Judy Wambach’s seven kids, the road to the athletic stage couldn’t have led anywhere else. After scoring 27 goals in just three games in her first youth league, she was transferred to another team — to play with the boys. She has epitomized hunger and drive since.
“If you look at all the losses I’ve ever had, all the adversity, I was almost bred to be an athlete,” Wambach said with a chuckle. “The youngest of seven, thrown into a hockey goal at a young age and told to stay there . . . my competitiveness was taught to me at a very young age.
“Through the years I’ve had ups and downs . . . a lot of downs: my leg break in ’08. All those things fueled a fire in me. This tournament, you’ve seen that coming out in my passion and my play.”
Now her team is a win away from its first title since 1999.
“There’s always two sides to scoring with your head or your shoulder,” Wambach said. “I was put in position to score those goals, and my teammates put me in those positions. If you have the we mentality and not the me mentality, you’re more likely to win, and that’s what this team is doing.”
The Vitals:
Name: Mary Abigail Wambach
Birthdate: June 2, 1980
Birthplace: Rochester, N.Y.
Schools: Our Lady of Mercy High School, University of Florida
Height: 5-11
International goals: 121 in 162 games, fourth most in history
World Cup goals: 12, third most in history
Tourney finishes: 2004 Olympic gold, 2003 and ’07 World Cup bronze
Pet: English bulldog named Kingston
Favorite food: Burrito bowls
brian.lewis@nypost.com